Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Trending
  • Resources
    • Politics Extra
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / 2016 Campaign / Why Does Hillary Clinton Want to be President?
Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!


Why Does Hillary Clinton Want to be President?

June 12, 2015 at 7:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 9 Comments

Politico: “Clinton is no Teddy Kennedy, who suffered the most infamous case of lockjaw in political history when asked why he wanted to be president during the 1980 campaign; Her problem is that she’s far more interested in the how than the why of the presidency, and views her greatest assets as a willingness to engage all participants in a debate and a workmanlike capacity to hammer out policy solutions.”

“Clinton’s big speech will be a rare opportunity to change that narrative. It will be held at New York’s Roosevelt Island—a none-to-subtle signal that she’s aligning herself with FDR, the boldest of Democratic presidents and the one who established the deepest personal connection with voters—something Clinton has struggled to do throughout her three-decade career. And she’ll do so with a broad progressive agenda, her advisers told me, studded with policy proposals to be unveiled in greater depth in a series of speeches this summer, starting with an ambitious plan to cut student debt and lower tuition and a program to coax corporations into paying their workers more. Clinton’s staff believes this is where the campaign will be won or lost—it will signal to voters, and to ideologically driven Obama donors, that she’s every bit as committed to their cause as Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders—or the Hillary Clinton of 1993 for that matter.”

First Read: “Delivering big speeches at rallies has never been one of Hillary’s strengths.”

FavoriteLoadingSave to Favorites
  • Bluesky
  • X
  • Threads
  • Facebook
  • Email

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Hillary Clinton


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Recent Posts

Trump’s Peace Plan Gives Russia Everything It Wants

November 21, 2025 at 12:30 pm ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 11:25 am EST

Nick Paton Walsh: “Trying the same thing over and over again, without success, is either the definition of insanity or Russian negotiation tactics, depending on your point of view.” “The…

Not Only Do the Holidays Start Earlier…

November 21, 2025 at 12:25 pm EST

Apparently Black Friday is now a week long. Save to Favorites

San Francisco Candidate Calls Maryland House Home

November 21, 2025 at 12:17 pm EST

“Saikat Chakrabarti (D), a progressive tech millionaire who is running to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi in Congress, has spent years claiming that a home in Maryland is his principal residence…

Trump Wants His Health Care Plan ‘Done’ by January 30

November 21, 2025 at 12:15 pm EST

“President Donald Trump said he hopes to secure a solution by Jan. 30 for an impending surge in health insurance premiums for millions of Americans, the first timeline he has…

GOP Realizes That Trump Won’t Be Around Forever

November 21, 2025 at 12:10 pm ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 11:20 am EST

Idrees Kahloon: “The reality that Donald Trump’s presidency will end in January 2029 is already making Republicans restless. Normally, Trump angers, exhausts, and eventually prevails over elected Republicans—not vice versa….

John Fetterman’s Book Bombs

November 21, 2025 at 12:00 pm ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 11:22 am EST

“Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) new memoir Unfettered sold zero copies in his own hometown’s Barnes & Noble store the first few days after launch,” Mediaite reports. “Despite Fetterman and his…

The Ghislaine Maxwell Emails

November 21, 2025 at 11:35 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 11:26 am EST

Isaac Stanley-Becker: “The emails that Ghislaine Maxwell has been sending over the past several months from a minimum-security prison near Houston are stamped Sensitive But Unclassified. Maxwell once cavorted with…

Proposed Map Targets Jim Clyburn’s District

November 21, 2025 at 11:34 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 11:34 am EST

“South Carolina Republicans are flirting with redrawing the state’s congressional maps — specifically Rep. Jim Clyburn’s district,” NOTUS reports. Save to Favorites

Lula Stares Down Trump and Scores Tariff Victory

November 21, 2025 at 11:31 am EST

“From the minute Donald Trump slapped tariffs on Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva bet the US leader was going all-in on a weak hand. The wager paid off…

A Vance Ally Rises at the Pentagon

November 21, 2025 at 11:30 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 11:15 am EST

“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s high-stakes visit to Ukraine this week to deliver the Trump’s administration’s latest peace plan has placed the service leader into the role of major international negotiator…

The CDC’s Website Is Anti-Vaccine Now

November 21, 2025 at 11:28 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 11:17 am EST

Tom Bartlett: “The agency’s revamped vaccine-safety page enshrines Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s fringe beliefs as government guidance.” Save to Favorites

Weekly News Quiz

November 21, 2025 at 11:00 am ESTNovember 19, 2025 at 3:40 pm EST

This week’s quiz lands amid a flurry of political drama — from Congress scrambling to release the Epstein files to Republicans openly distancing themselves from a suddenly lame-duck President Trump.

Add in the MAGA infighting sparked by Tucker Carlson and the White House’s quickly derailed “affordability week,” and it’s been a whirlwind.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

Trump Isn’t Getting What He Wants from Republicans Now

November 21, 2025 at 11:00 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 10:15 am EST

Semafor: “The rifts between Trump and the rest of the GOP are piling up. Indiana Republicans are declining to rewrite their congressional maps at the behest of the president, sparking…

Top Indiana Republican Defends Pushing Back on Trump

November 21, 2025 at 10:45 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 10:19 am EST

Indiana’s Senate leader Rodric Bray (R) defended his opposition to President Trump’s pressure to redistrict the state, telling Politico: “It’s absolutely imperative that we’re able to do hard things here,…

Crypto Plunge Wipes Out $400 Billion This Week

November 21, 2025 at 10:30 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 10:20 am EST

“A plunge in cryptocurrency assets accelerated Friday morning, led by bitcoin, which has lost more than a third of its value since setting an all-time high in October,” Axios reports….

Lawsuit Links Saudi Officials to 9/11 Plot

November 21, 2025 at 10:22 am EST

“Saudi Arabia’s leader on Tuesday downplayed the kingdom’s role in the 9/11 attacks. But an ongoing federal court case is revealing new details about Saudi officials’ alleged ties to the…

Student Scores Fall Off a Cliff

November 21, 2025 at 10:12 am EST

New York Magazine: “Last winter, the U.S. federal government released the results of its semi-annual reading and math tests of fourth- and eighth-graders, assessments that are considered the most authoritative…

Bonus Quote of the Day

November 21, 2025 at 10:00 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 9:52 am EST

“He’d be the outlier if it didn’t happen. The closer you get to the midterms and then beyond, everybody is measuring their own state or congressional district, and maybe people…

The Top 20 Billionaires Influencing Politics

November 21, 2025 at 9:59 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 10:01 am EST

The Washington Post ranks the billionaire political donors. “The 20 most prolific donors on the Forbes billionaires list have collectively given nearly $5 billion between 2015 and 2024, spending on…

Coast Guard Reverses Itself on Swastikas

November 21, 2025 at 9:54 am ESTNovember 21, 2025 at 9:55 am EST

The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday issued a memo that reclassifies swastikas and nooses as “hate symbols,” in a rapid about-face after facing intense scrutiny for a previous policy change…

« Strauss-Kahn Cleared of Sex Party Charges
Quote of the Day »

Get Smarter About Politics

Members get exclusive analysis, a trending news page, the Trial Balloon podcast, bonus newsletters and no advertising. Learn more.

Your Account

Sign in

Latest for Members

  • Weekly News Quiz
  • Guess Who’s Coming to Lunch?
  • High Stakes in Omaha
  • GOP Faces a Midterm Meltdown If Economic Anger Holds
  • The Divided Side Almost Always Loses

Word of the Day

Bircher: A Bircher is an adherent to the teachings and philosophies of the John Birch Society, an anti-communist organization founded in 1958.

Read the full definition

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.

Copyright © 2025 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC